Apple may launch a new MacBook Air as early as next week

Apple tweaked the new MacBook Air in 2019, and now a new report suggests the company will get around to launching a new version of the laptop in the very near future.

According to a report from MacRumors today, based on information gathered from an unnamed source who has proven pretty reliable in the past, Apple may be preparing to launch a new MacBook Air as early as next week. Unfortunately, any additional details are not included in the report. Only the “next week” part of the rumor is included, so we could see Apple launch new hardware — coupled with new press releases — somewhere between Monday, March 16, and Friday, March 20.

Is it possible? Of course. As noted by the original report:

While the second quarter does not begin until April, an announcement next week would be just a few weeks earlier. Apple has announced new or refreshed products in March for the last five consecutive years, so there is precedence. In terms of covering all bases, however, we cannot rule out the possibility that the tipster received wrong information.

Bringing up the second quarter of this year makes sense, because we just heard earlier this week from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple is expected to launch not only new MacBook Air models, but also new MacBook Pro models with scissor switch keyboards sometime in the second quarter of this year.

The switch to a scissor switch keyboard is anticipated because Apple introduced the new (old) keyboard style with the redesigned 16-inch MacBook Pro late last year. Both the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the current MacBook Air are still equipped with the butterfly keyboard, so many potential buyers are eager to see Apple adopt the different keyboard style. One that’s not as prone to hardware failures as the butterfly keyboard is.

The last major update for the MacBook Air was 2018, with a minor tweak for a slightly updated butterfly keyboard and a True Tone display in 2019. If Apple is going to upgrade the MacBook Air lineup again, and as early as next week, the inclusion of the new scissor keyboard would certainly make it worthwhile.

If Apple does launch a new MacBook Air next week, do you plan on picking one up?